Series 6 sees the return of Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar as DCI Jess James and DI Sunil ‘Sunny’ Khan, bringing back their compelling on-screen partnership as they delve into unresolved crimes, promising another powerful exploration of hidden truths and long-buried secrets.
Joining Sinéad and Sanjeev are Victoria Hamilton (Cobra, His Dark Materials), MyAnna Buring (The Responder, The Witcher, The Salisbury Poisonings), alongside new faces Maximilian Fairley and Elham Ehsas, and celebrated British actors Jan Francis, Damien Moloney and Michele Dotrice.
Returning cast members include Andrew Lancel (Bolan’s Shoes, The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe) as Jess’s husband Steve, and Kate Robbins (The Couple Next Door, Death in Paradise) as her mother, Kate.
Jess and Sunny’s loyal police team also reassemble, featuring Jordan Long as DS Murray Boulting, Carolina Main as DC Fran Lingley, and Pippa Nixon as DC Kaz Willets. Georgia Mackenzie also returns as Pathologist Dr Leanne Balcombe.
The series begins when suspected human remains are uncovered on Whitney Marsh. Jess and Sunny are immediately called to the scene, abandoning their evening plans, much to Jess’s husband’s chagrin. Dr Balcombe’s analysis reveals that the remains are relatively recent and suggest a grim conclusion: the body was placed there already dismembered. With this insight, Jess and Sunny intensify their search, certain that other body parts may not be far away.
As the investigation unfolds, viewers are introduced to a diverse new cast of characters: Melinda Ricci (MyAnna Buring), an outspoken television commentator based in Ireland; Martin ‘Marty’ Baines (Maximilian Fairley), an autistic man living with his mother, Dot (Michele Dotrice), in Deal, Kent; Asif Syed (Elham Ehsas), an Afghan training for his UK citizenship test; and Juliet Cooper (Victoria Hamilton), a History Lecturer and Faculty Head at a London university.
While these characters live seemingly separate lives, they are intricately connected by their pasts. It’s up to Jess, Sunny, and their dedicated team to uncover these hidden links and ultimately expose the truth behind the cold case murder.
Each of the highly anticipated new episodes is written by Chris Lang and directed by Andy Wilson, who has been the sole director responsible for directing each of the previous 30 episodes across five series of the globally successful drama. Laura Mackie and Sally Haynes, on behalf of Mainstreet Pictures, return to executive produce alongside Chris Lang, Guy de Glanville and Andy Wilson. Carmel Maloney produces the series and Drama Commissioner, Huw Kennair Jones, oversees the production on behalf of ITV.
Unforgotten producers, Mainstreet Pictures, is an ITV Studios label led by CEO Sally Haynes and Managing Director Guy de Glanville.
A Mainstreet production for ITV, Unforgotten is co-produced with MASTERPIECE in association with BBC Studios, who will distribute series six and the previous five series internationally.